By Sean Smyth... Obviously...
Sometimes things work just as well the second time around.
People who haven't read a single comic or seen the original cartoon or any of the movies can probably recite to you the basic concept behind Spider-Man. And since Sam Rami's Spider-Man came out only ten short years ago it should still relatively be fresh in everyone's memory. So why reboot the thing? To compete with Batman, of course. Duh! Oh and try and make us forget about that Toby Maguire.
I mean how annoying is he? What's his crowning achievement again? MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss back in 2002? Yeah, it's no question that his star is diminishing. Thank god... But I digress. This isn't about Toby, this is about the newly re-imagined (sort of) Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man is basically a rehash of the origin story. Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), a brilliant, young, shy, loaner, goes to Oscorp and is bitten by a spider that turns him into a superhuman who can climb on walls and can sense danger. Only this rehash is something a little more conceivable as the film attempts to ground it's story into reality much like Christopher Nolan's current incarnation of the Dark Knight. Which in my opinion refreshes the old web head and gives him a greater emotional depth especially with Garfield at the reins.
There are many similarities about this film in comparison to it's predecessor, only The Amazing Spider-Man takes those similarities and does some Amazing stuff with them. For example, the webbing is no longer organic. It doesn't shoot out of the wrist with some stupid pressure point or a crappy catch phrase. No, No. It's back to the Peter Parker homemade webbing that he shoots out of a little canister attached to his wrist, just like in the comics. Or, how about the fact that Parker's abilities are explained through cross species genetics rather than just a simple spider bite giving him his powers. Just a few of the minute but grand details trickled into a rather powerful script.
Yes, the Amazing-Spider-Man did everything to be the original Spider-Man but still have it's own individuality. This film is all about family and acceptance and allowing maturity and growth after a hard life. But most of all it's about fathers and sons, as there is no shortage of father figures for the great Peter Parker. Over the course of movie, Peter has a slew of father types who all want something different or see the world different from him, allowing for some truly memorable scenes and high stakes of loss for Peter.
The film opens up with Peter at his school kind of alone, getting picked on, standing up for others, and pining after the beautiful Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). At home we find he is kind of a genius who is able to fix anything for his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker (Martin Sheen and Sally Field respectively). When Peter discovers an old box filled with his father's old research with, his partner Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), it forces him to ask the question, what happened to my parents? This propels him to go to Oscorp, meet Connors and GET BIT!
At first Peter, naturally, is confused and a little overwhelmed by his newfound abilities. Gradually he becomes more comfortable and is able use this new understanding of how genetics works and gives Connors an equation from his father's journal that "full proofs" the serum to allow tissue regeneration so advanced that it can grow back entire limbs, like lizards. Uh oh.
Needless to say things start getting a little out of control for Peter juggling, his love, school, family, secret vigilante work, a sort of apprenticeship with Connors, battling a giant Lizard hellbent on trying to save and advance his research to create the perfect being, and oh, being chanced by the entire New York City Police Department, led by Gwen's father, the unflappable, Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary).
The Amazing Spider-Man gets a lot right, and in many ways, as I said, surpasses the original. Garfield carries the weight of the film on his shoulders and that weight can be seen through the emotional conflicts that are running through him. And it's great to see the difference in character between Peter and Spider-Man. It's like he's a different person inside the suit. The wise cracking web slinger. Nothing like the brooding and overly complicated Toby Maguire Spider-Man. And not to mention, Peter isn't too afraid to show his face in this film, as he battles several times wearing the unitard without the mask. One of many great choices by director Mark Webb in his first big action film.
Then one of the most refreshing things was having Gwen Stacy, Peter's first true love be the tentpole leading lady instead of Mary Jane Watson. Casting a blonde Emma Stone couldn't have been a better choice as she really pulls her weight. Some of the best scenes are with Garfield and Stone just being a teenage couple, and her being the only one who really knows who he is, adds something more intimate unlike the original where Mary Jane hadn't the faintest idea the entire first movie and well into the second.
Then there is the unlikely hero, that is, Denis Leary's George Stacy. He's a no nonsense kind of guy who will defend his beliefs and wants nothing more than to do his job and protect his family by keeping the streets clean of any kind of threat, including Spider-Man. I have to say George Stacy is one of my favorite characters because I believe he has the greatest change in the film. His arc is something that helps not only move the story along and provide conflict but, gives Peter someone who has a completely different look on life.
Overall The Amazing Spider-Man takes great swings (Ha! Puns) away from the original; breathing new life into the characters and displaying great humor along with a grounded reality with just a hint of sci-fi fantasy. The story flows well, allowing for a significant amount of time with certain characters to make us care for them, multiple intersecting story arcs and a rather satisfying conclusion, that really makes the movie feel whole. The only downside is that there is a rather large corny sequence towards the end of the film that just feels kind of lame and out of place with the rest of the it and the Lizard looks a little too cartoony for my taste.
The film leaves several open questions and a killer mid-credit scene that I for one don't know what to make of, but allows you to leave with a sense of not only continued normality but hope for the characters. Therefore, I give The Amazing Spider-Man 4.5 blips out of 5.
Thanks for reading. Any comments, suggestions, or opinions please refer them to the designated area below where you leave your two cents. Let me know what you think or your ideas about who exactly was the mysterious character in the shadows in the mid-credit scene, or a sweet slogan for my blog, because I'm bone dry on that front.
I mean how annoying is he? What's his crowning achievement again? MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss back in 2002? Yeah, it's no question that his star is diminishing. Thank god... But I digress. This isn't about Toby, this is about the newly re-imagined (sort of) Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man is basically a rehash of the origin story. Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), a brilliant, young, shy, loaner, goes to Oscorp and is bitten by a spider that turns him into a superhuman who can climb on walls and can sense danger. Only this rehash is something a little more conceivable as the film attempts to ground it's story into reality much like Christopher Nolan's current incarnation of the Dark Knight. Which in my opinion refreshes the old web head and gives him a greater emotional depth especially with Garfield at the reins.
There are many similarities about this film in comparison to it's predecessor, only The Amazing Spider-Man takes those similarities and does some Amazing stuff with them. For example, the webbing is no longer organic. It doesn't shoot out of the wrist with some stupid pressure point or a crappy catch phrase. No, No. It's back to the Peter Parker homemade webbing that he shoots out of a little canister attached to his wrist, just like in the comics. Or, how about the fact that Parker's abilities are explained through cross species genetics rather than just a simple spider bite giving him his powers. Just a few of the minute but grand details trickled into a rather powerful script.
Yes, the Amazing-Spider-Man did everything to be the original Spider-Man but still have it's own individuality. This film is all about family and acceptance and allowing maturity and growth after a hard life. But most of all it's about fathers and sons, as there is no shortage of father figures for the great Peter Parker. Over the course of movie, Peter has a slew of father types who all want something different or see the world different from him, allowing for some truly memorable scenes and high stakes of loss for Peter.
The film opens up with Peter at his school kind of alone, getting picked on, standing up for others, and pining after the beautiful Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). At home we find he is kind of a genius who is able to fix anything for his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker (Martin Sheen and Sally Field respectively). When Peter discovers an old box filled with his father's old research with, his partner Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), it forces him to ask the question, what happened to my parents? This propels him to go to Oscorp, meet Connors and GET BIT!
At first Peter, naturally, is confused and a little overwhelmed by his newfound abilities. Gradually he becomes more comfortable and is able use this new understanding of how genetics works and gives Connors an equation from his father's journal that "full proofs" the serum to allow tissue regeneration so advanced that it can grow back entire limbs, like lizards. Uh oh.
Needless to say things start getting a little out of control for Peter juggling, his love, school, family, secret vigilante work, a sort of apprenticeship with Connors, battling a giant Lizard hellbent on trying to save and advance his research to create the perfect being, and oh, being chanced by the entire New York City Police Department, led by Gwen's father, the unflappable, Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary).
The Amazing Spider-Man gets a lot right, and in many ways, as I said, surpasses the original. Garfield carries the weight of the film on his shoulders and that weight can be seen through the emotional conflicts that are running through him. And it's great to see the difference in character between Peter and Spider-Man. It's like he's a different person inside the suit. The wise cracking web slinger. Nothing like the brooding and overly complicated Toby Maguire Spider-Man. And not to mention, Peter isn't too afraid to show his face in this film, as he battles several times wearing the unitard without the mask. One of many great choices by director Mark Webb in his first big action film.
Then one of the most refreshing things was having Gwen Stacy, Peter's first true love be the tentpole leading lady instead of Mary Jane Watson. Casting a blonde Emma Stone couldn't have been a better choice as she really pulls her weight. Some of the best scenes are with Garfield and Stone just being a teenage couple, and her being the only one who really knows who he is, adds something more intimate unlike the original where Mary Jane hadn't the faintest idea the entire first movie and well into the second.
Rhys Ifans brings his own skills to the party, making Connors very likable, just as he should be, up until the unexpected transformation, and his later scenes as he loses his mind are great. Seeing his struggle to keep his work alive made me really root for him to succeed even though I knew it wouldn't end well. Many people are comparing him to William Defoe's Norman Osborn/Green Goblin from the original Spider-Man, which in my opinion was fantastic, but that's not fair. This story isn't about that part of Peter's life, not yet anyway. This is how it all starts. And Lizard is the perfect training wheels bad guy, with a realistic goal he is trying to achieve. He's not just trying to take over the world, well he is, but he's only trying to make it better, in his own deranged chemically enhanced way. He is also something more. He's one of three father figures that Peter has which makes it all the more powerful toward the end.
Then there is the unlikely hero, that is, Denis Leary's George Stacy. He's a no nonsense kind of guy who will defend his beliefs and wants nothing more than to do his job and protect his family by keeping the streets clean of any kind of threat, including Spider-Man. I have to say George Stacy is one of my favorite characters because I believe he has the greatest change in the film. His arc is something that helps not only move the story along and provide conflict but, gives Peter someone who has a completely different look on life.
Overall The Amazing Spider-Man takes great swings (Ha! Puns) away from the original; breathing new life into the characters and displaying great humor along with a grounded reality with just a hint of sci-fi fantasy. The story flows well, allowing for a significant amount of time with certain characters to make us care for them, multiple intersecting story arcs and a rather satisfying conclusion, that really makes the movie feel whole. The only downside is that there is a rather large corny sequence towards the end of the film that just feels kind of lame and out of place with the rest of the it and the Lizard looks a little too cartoony for my taste.
The film leaves several open questions and a killer mid-credit scene that I for one don't know what to make of, but allows you to leave with a sense of not only continued normality but hope for the characters. Therefore, I give The Amazing Spider-Man 4.5 blips out of 5.
Thanks for reading. Any comments, suggestions, or opinions please refer them to the designated area below where you leave your two cents. Let me know what you think or your ideas about who exactly was the mysterious character in the shadows in the mid-credit scene, or a sweet slogan for my blog, because I'm bone dry on that front.
No comments:
Post a Comment